


One Man's Nightmare

by Mylari



Series: Dreams and Nightmares [1]
Category: Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2014-08-08
Packaged: 2018-02-09 17:43:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1991967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mylari/pseuds/Mylari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something's got Keith all worked up... What's his problem and how can it be fixed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WEP owns everything except the voices in my head...

The five members of the Voltron Force are in high spirits after handing the forces of Doom yet another defeat. Since they had managed to avoid any injuries or damage to Voltron, the Lion ships, or the surrounding buildings, the group feels at ease and engages in playful banter. “Well, not everyone can be the ladies’ man that Lance is…” Allura giggles as she continues the conversation that the team had started on their return to the castle.  

Keith, Hunk, and Pidge stop in their tracks, hysterical laughter overcoming them. The three men gasp for breath as tears stream uncontrollably down their cheeks. Pidge sinks to the floor, no longer able to stand. Hunk leans his forearm against the nearest wall before resting his head against it, shaking with mirth.

“And you… believe that... Princess?” Keith looks at Allura with his eyebrows raised. “He says… he falls… for girls… but what he… fails… to mention… is that they… rarely return… the favor,” Keith manages to get out between guffaws and gasps for air. His arms cross over his midsection as he holds his sides, then doubles over from the intensity of his laughter. He reaches up to wipe the tears from his face only to have them immediately replaced with fresh ones.

“Yeah, very funny, Mr. Pine-For-Someone-Forever-But-Won’t-Do-Anything-About-It!” The words are spoken softly, yet forcefully. Lance turns to face his captain, pinning him with an icy stare from his hazel eyes, his own arms crossed before him.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean, Lance?” Laughter forgotten, Keith turns his attention back to his second, his words a low growl. His dark eyes seek out and lock with those of the Red Lion pilot.

“You know exactly what it means, Keith. I didn’t stutter. At least Hunk, Pidge, and I put ourselves out there and take risks. It may not always work out, but at least we’re not always holding everything in and telling ourselves that we don’t deserve what we want.” Lance’s arms sweep through the air and his tone indicates that this is an old disagreement rejoined once more.

Allura looks back and forth between the captain and his wingman, confused about this argument that seems to have escalated out of nowhere. She knows that they have their adversarial moments, but this feels different. It’s as if Lance is dredging up deeper, more personal wounds as he lashes out at Keith.

Pidge and Hunk glance at each other nervously, neither one of them liking the direction this is taking. Having been through battles between Keith and Lance before, they recognize the danger signs flashing between the teammates as tensions escalate. Wordlessly communicating to each other, they get ready to intervene.

Keith is deathly silent, his dark eyes glinting angrily. He scowls at Lance, his lips drawn into a tight line. The muscles in his jaw jump and twitch erratically while his fists clench and unclench convulsively at his sides. Chest heaving as his breathing intensifies, his fury is barely controlled.

“Go on, Keith, tell me I’m wrong.” Lance stands his ground, facing down his commander and best friend, his own fists forming behind him as he leans in menacingly. When Keith doesn’t react at all, Lance lowers his voice dangerously before continuing, “Seriously, Keith. Think about it. What’s really stopping you?” His glower bores into the raven haired man who stands shaking with rage before him.

Hunk and Pidge quickly exchange a glance as a low, primal growl emanates from the vicinity of their commander. At an unspoken signal between the two of them, they spring into action. Hunk leaps in front of Keith and puts his hands on the smaller man’s shoulders, gently but firmly pushing him backwards a few steps. Recognizing just how tightly coiled the muscles beneath his hands have become, Hunk realizes the urgency of the situation. He needs to get Keith out of the room before the commander finally loses the tenuous control he is obviously struggling to maintain. “C’mon man, don’t let him get to you, Keith. He’s just tryin’ to push your buttons. Let it go…” He speaks as soothingly as possible while gently shoving his target backwards through the door.

Pidge turns to Lance, a disapproving look on his face. He turns his visage up to the taller man before asking “What’d ya go and do that for? You had to know how badly that was going to wind him up, Lance. You know how sensitive he is about his feelings for…” Realizing that the princess has been in the room for this entire confrontation, Pidge lets his sentence trail off.

Lance looks down at Pidge as if seeing him for the first time. He shakes his head, seemingly clearing it from a trance before speaking. “I dunno, Pidge. He’s just been so damn tetchy lately and it’s getting on my nerves. Besides it’s about time he finally gets it in the open. She needs to kn-Ow!” He reaches down and absently starts rubbing his arm where Pidge just struck him.

“Ix-nay, Lance. We’re not alone…” Pidge tries to say quietly out of the corner of his mouth. He glances at the princess hoping that Lance will follow the path of his eyes and drop the subject.

“She who? And what should she know?” Pidge and Lance look at each other with pained expressions at the sound of Allura’s soft voice.

Lance runs his hand through his feathered brown hair before looking at Allura. “Uh… nothing… I don’t think Keith would appreciate it if we told his secrets…”

“I’m pretty sure he’s already more than a bit angry with you, Lance. What was that all about anyway?”

“You might want to ask Keith about that, Princess.” Pidge looks up at her apologetically. “I really think it’s best coming from him.”

“Well since I don’t think he’s in any shape to speak right now, other than in grunts and growls, I’m asking you two.”

“Look, I’m already in enough trouble for opening my big mouth. Not that he and I weren’t going to have this confrontation anyway, but it should have been in private. I’ve already said way more than I should have, so I’m gonna be smart and not make it any worse for myself right now. I know I push his buttons a lot, and have for years, but I can’t remember ever seeing him that livid before. When I figure out where to hide until he cools down, I’ll contact you to have my mail forwarded.” Lance sighs heavily, shakes his head, and warily eyes the door that Keith and Hunk exited through.

“Pidge… Please?” Her eyes plead with the short, bespectacled man before her.

Pidge shakes his head as he looks up at Allura’s desperate face. “Sorry, Princess. I’d love to tell you, but I am not risking Keith redirecting that anger from Lance onto me. I may be fast, but he’d catch up to me sooner or later, and I don’t think he’d be very forgiving. Heck, I’m kinda scared for Hunk right now. I don’t think Keith is seeing anything but red at the moment.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always - WEP owns everything except the voices in my head - I just take their toys on playdates...

Hunk keeps pushing against Keith's chest until his commander's back is against the wall in the corridor. As Keith's shoulders make contact with the unyielding structure behind him, he blinks rapidly and looks up at Hunk in confusion. "Wha…?"

"Hey Chief, good to see you're back with us again. You gonna be OK? Wanna go hit the gym or something? You've gotta get rid of some of that tension, man." Hunk searches Keith's face for an indication of his current mood. He takes in the slight darkening of the skin below his friend's onyx eyes and purses his lips thoughtfully.

"Sorry, Hunk. Look, I know I overreacted in there. I just…" Keith sighs and gathers his thoughts for a moment before looking back up at the big man. "It's bad enough that he has to taunt me and poke at me all the time, but why does he have to do it in front of the princess? Especially on that subject…" Tears form in Keith's eyes, obscuring the obsidian orbs and his whole body seems to slump in on itself as he turns away.

Hunk chews his lower lip, concerned at his captain's sudden mood swing. "C'mon, Keith, let's go find an empty lounge and you can talk this all out, OK?" He gathers the deflated commander from the wall and places his arm across Keith's shoulders. Slowly he starts walking away from the scene of the confrontation and towards one of the rooms that should be empty at this time of day. He doesn't like the look of defeat he sees on Keith's face or how quickly the man wilted in the hallway.

Finding an empty room, he steers Keith in and leads him over to the couch. The captain flops down onto the seat and immediately drops his head between his knees, clenching his hands in his hair. Hunk sits next to him, quietly assessing the dejected form to his left. He's seen this kind of behavior from his friend before and has a hunch about what the problem is. "Keith?"

"Yeah, Hunk?" The muffled words are soft and almost sad.

"When's the last time you slept?" Hunk's eyes narrow as he evaluates the slumped form on the couch.

"Huh? Whadda ya mean?" Keith sits up and turns to face Hunk, confusion written all over his face.

"I mean, when's the last time you actually got a good night's sleep?"

Keith shrugs his shoulders before answering quietly, "I dunno, my insomnia's been acting up lately. A few weeks ago I guess, why?"

Hunk digests the answer with a nod. "No wonder you've been so edgy lately. I know Lance is good at gettin' under your skin, but lately it's been taking a lot less for him to set you off. Maybe a nice nap will help and you'll feel better when you wake up."

"Maybe… I guess it couldn't hurt to at least try." Keith sighs heavily and tries to gather the strength and desire to stand when Hunk interrupts him.

"Your adrenaline was surging during that confrontation with Lance and I saw you deflate the second it wore off. You must be feeling pretty exhausted right about now. I doubt you could make it back to your room without me carrying you at the moment. Why don't you just lie down in here for a while? I'm sure you'll fall asleep in no time. Meanwhile, I'll go talk to Lance and tell him to back off."

"Alright. Thanks, Hunk."

Keith stretches out on his side, facing the back of the sofa, as Hunk turns off the lights before leaving the room in search of the Red Lion pilot.

* * *

Allura sighs as she watches Lance and Pidge leave Castle Control. Shaking her head and muttering something about "boys", she makes her way into the hallway that Hulk and Keith exited through earlier. Wandering the corridor aimlessly, she realizes that she is feeling frustrated and restless. She's upset that something is obviously bothering Keith and no one will tell her what it is. Looking up, she realizes that she's outside of one of the lesser used observation lounges and decides to go in to see if the view can sooth her agitation. Keying open the door, she slips inside. As she makes her way to the windows, she catches sight of a figure stretched out on the couch with his back to her. Turning her head, she recognizes the red clad form of her commander and approaches him quietly. A small smile forms on her lips as she watches him sleep, his head pillowed on one arm, his other hand under his cheek. She turns and gets a blanket from the cabinet under the coffee table. After shaking it open, she drapes the pink cloth over him and bends down to brush the hair from his forehead. Leaning over, she kisses him lightly on the temple, and then sits in the corner of the ell shaped couch near his head. Drawing her legs up to her chest, she rests her chin on her knees. An indulgent smile on her face, she reaches down to toy with the messy curls splayed out behind his head.

While she watches, his eyes begin to twitch as he moans in his sleep. Worried that he's going wake himself up, she softly croons to him. "Shhh… It's OK… Go back to sleep…" Reaching out, she gently runs her hand up and down along his upper arm in an effort to sooth him back into a peaceful rest. Once he finally settles back down, she lets her hand fall to his dark tresses again. Playing with the curl at the end of one lock of hair, she absentmindedly whispers to him. "Keith, I wish I knew what had you so worked up earlier. You know you can talk to me about anything and that I'd do anything to help you…" Sighing, she drops the strands of hair from her fingers and rises from the couch. Leaning over, she brushes a feather-light kiss on his cheek before murmuring, "Sleep well, Keith." Taking care to make as little noise as possible, she makes her way to the door and exits, programming a do not disturb message into the locking mechanism.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEP owns everything except the voices inside my head... and my insomnia, but they can have that if they want it...

After a short search, Hunk finds Lance and Pidge in the lounge that the team has taken over as their recreation room. The two men are sitting on one of the couches, idly watching a group of small pastel mice do tricks on the coffee table.

They both look up as the door opens and Hunk walks into the room. "Hey, Hunk. How's Keith doing?" There is concern and a hint of guilt evident in Lance's voice as he asks about their captain quietly.

"To be honest, I'm kinda worried about him. Once I got him out of the room and into the hallway, he just wilted. He looked utterly defeated and got real passive. It was like all the air just left him. I've never seen him look so exhausted. I managed to get him into one of the lounges downstairs and he admitted that he hasn't slept much in the last few weeks. Knowing him, that means it's probably more like a couple of months since he's had a good night's rest. Apparently his insomnia's back with a vengeance."

"That would explain his moods lately… Damn, I wish he would have said something. I would have backed off and let him be." Lance sighs and frowns, shaking his head.

"Lance, you know he'd never admit there was something wrong unless we asked point blank. Remember how long he hid it leading up to finals back at the Academy? He's pretty good at concealing the symptoms for a while. Heck, it took a month for anyone to figure it out back then and he's had more practice since." Pidge shrugs and exhales deeply through his nose.

"I'd really be surprised if this has been going on for less than six weeks, but if I was betting, I'd wager closer to eight or ten." Hunk looks at his friends and sighs. "Hopefully he's sleepin' now. He just had a really big adrenaline rush wear off, so there's a good chance it will at least let him get a couple of hours in."

"Yeah, well what makes this situation even worse than just Keith's insomnia problem is that Allura was there and you heard what Lance said… And she started asking questions…" Pidge looks at Hunk meaningfully.

Hunk's eyes grow wide as he realizes what Pidge is telling him. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Course not, big guy. We told her to talk to Keith. Not that he's going to like that either. I know this isn't how he wanted her to find out… Man he's gonna kill me…" Lance can't hide the look of guilt and regret that crosses his face.

* * *

Leaving Keith asleep in the lounge, Allura searches out the rest of the team hoping to get some answers. She is not surprised to find them in what serves as the team ready room. As she walks in, all conversation immediately stops. She takes in the slightly guilty expressions on the faces of the three men sitting on the couch and pouts out of the side of her mouth. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you three were up to something." Her eyes narrow as she looks at them each in turn. "What's going on?"

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk look at each other and shrug in unison before turning their attention back to the woman standing before them.

"C'mon, guys. Will one of you *please* tell me what's going on? You're all worrying me." Her azure gaze flits from one face to the next, pleading for answers.

"Alright, Princess, but there really isn't much to tell." Lance shrugs and sighs softly. "We're just concerned about Keith. I dunno if he ever mentioned it to you or not, but he suffers from insomnia from time to time. Normally, it's not a big deal and he has it under control, but when it acts up, he hardly gets any sleep at all. The longer it lasts, the more erratic his moods get and the harder it gets to live with the-", Lance stops speaking abruptly, closes his eyes, takes a deep breath as he censors himself, and then opens his eyes continuing, "I mean him. Apparently, he's been suffering lately and hadn't bothered to tell anyone he was having trouble sleeping. Not that it's surprising that he's been keeping it to himself." Lance shakes his head and sighs helplessly as he looks up at her.

"Well, he's sleeping now. I just came from the lounge outside Castle Control and he was fast asleep on the couch. Is there anything we can do to help him?" Allura looks at the Red Lion pilot hopefully.

"Good, I was hopin' he'd be able to get some sleep after his face off with Lance. The guy is seriously sleep deprived right now. He's been hiding this for quite a while. I'm still surprised we didn't figure it out sooner…" The large man's voice trails off as his gaze falls to the floor in front of him.

"Hunk, like we said before, he's become quite an expert at hiding the signs for longer and longer periods of time." Pidge looks at the princess as he shrugs and sighs wearily. "We know he's been doing it since the Academy at least, probably even before that… He sees it as a sign of weakness and you know how much he hates to admit that he needs help."

"There has to be something we can do for him. He can't go on like this indefinitely." Allura looks at each of the men on the sofa before her, willing them to provide a solution for their captain's problem.

"I wish I knew what would help him, Princess. It seems like each time he goes through this it takes something different to help him out of it. Really, any sleep he can get is a good thing right now, but other than that... He's gotta be running on empty…" Lance trails off helplessly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEP owns everything except the voices in my head... I'm just messing with their stuff a bit...

Keith rolls onto his back and stretches before slowly opening his eyes. He stifles a yawn as he looks around trying to remember where he is and why he is there. Groaning, he closes his eyes and rubs his hands across his face. A sigh escapes his lips as he sits up and untangles himself from the pink blanket that he doesn't recall being there when he fell asleep. He rolls his neck around in an attempt to relieve muscles that have stiffened while he napped. Catching sight of the clock on the wall, he mentally calculates how long he's been asleep. "Hmmm… About two hours. Almost as much as I got all of last night…"

Propping his elbows on his knees, he rubs his temples in an attempt to stave off the headache that is threatening to form inside his skull. After taking a deep breath, he stands up and makes his way to the door. Exiting the lounge, he slowly walks back to his own room.

Entering his quarters, Keith closes the door behind him and makes sure that the lock is engaged. He then turns and heads to his bathroom, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he goes. He fills a cup with water from the tap and uses it to swallow a couple of aspirins. Looking into the container, he counts the few remaining pills. Frowning, he makes a mental note to get some more before he runs out. Placing the glass back down on the sink, he looks up at his reflection in the mirror. The man staring back at him looks beaten and exhausted. He splashes some water on his face and runs his hands through his hair. Giving up any attempt to control the messy waves falling past his shoulders, he sighs and shakes his head, a wry smile on his face. "Someday maybe I'll just cut it all off and be done with it."

Turning away from the mirror, he leaves the bathroom and strides to his bed. He lies down on top of the blankets, closing his eyes in an attempt to court sleep. However, he finds himself unable to relax and clear his mind. After tossing and turning for thirty minutes, he opens his eyes and looks at the clock in disgust. Rolling off the bed, he bites his lower lip, sighs, and heads out the door. He decides to find Lance and apologize for overreacting earlier.

* * *

On planet Doom, Haggar stands in her laboratory gazing into her crystal ball. Within the orb, there is a view of the captain of the Voltron Force tossing and turning sleeplessly on his bed. A wicked smile spreads across her shadowed face as she strokes the blue cat nestled in her arms. "The spell seems to be working perfectly, Kitty. It was fortunate that we were able to find out about Captain Keith's history of insomnia in order to exploit it. Let's see just how long he can go without sleep…" Her cackle echoes around the room.

* * *

Keith wanders the hallways of the castle aimlessly, eventually finding himself standing outside the team's favored lounge. Inhaling deeply, he closes his eyes before slowly releasing the air in his lungs through pursed lips. Slowly re-opening his eyes, he reaches up and lightly touches the button to open the door. As the panel slides to one side, the rest of the team looks up. Their conversation abandoned, they turn as one to face the intruder to their sanctuary.

"I take it from the sudden silence that you were all discussing my trouble sleeping lately?" Keith's tone is harsh as he practically spits out the words. Looking from person to person, he catches and releases each gaze with his own icy glare.

"It's just because we're worried about you, Keith. Why didn't you say anything? Maybe we can help…" Allura looks at him sympathetically, her concern evident in her wide eyed expression.

"Because it's nothing, Princess. I'll get through it. I always do." His words come out in a deep snarl. The captain reaches up and pinches the bridge of his nose. Keith stands motionless, breathing deeply with his eyes closed for a minute before releasing his grip and letting his hand fall to his side once more.

Allura looks at Keith and raises one eyebrow at him questioningly. "That certainly doesn't look like nothing to me. You look like you're in pain." Her voice is gentle as she tries to sooth his acerbic manner.

"It's just a headache. I took some aspirin but it hasn't kicked in yet. I'll be fine." His words come more harshly than he intended. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply a few more times in an effort to compose himself again before returning her gaze contritely. "Honest, Allura, I'm fine," he repeats much more softly this time.

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk quietly exchange worried glances as Keith's mood rapidly fluctuates before them as he speaks with the princess.

"Keith, you need to get some sleep. How have you even been able to keep functioning like this?" The princess's voice grows softer as she steps closer to the captain, her arm outstretched. She closes the gap between them and places her hand on his shoulder. Tilting her head, she catches his eye again, mentally pleading with him to heed her advice and try to get some rest.

"It's really no big deal; aspirins get rid of the headaches and caffeine helps make up for the lack of sleep. Eventually, it will sort itself out and I'll start sleeping normally again." He shrugs and looks around the room. "In the meantime, can we drop the subject, please?" His glowering expression and commanding tone indicate that this is an order, not a request.

Allura narrows her eyes and studies her captain's face taking in his haggard expression. Softening her gaze, she offers him a gentle smile and nods. "Alright, we'll drop it… for now. But if you aren't able to sleep again soon, you really should see Dr. Gorma about it." She takes her hand from his shoulder and slowly lowers it back to her side. She looks like there is more that she wants to say, but she hesitates and swallows any further words before he notices.

Keith chooses not to respond to the princess's request and instead turns to face his second. Lance's expression becomes guarded as he steels himself for a continuation of their prior confrontation. "Lance, the reason I came in here was actually to apologize to you. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that earlier. I'm sorry."

Eyeing his commander warily, the brown haired man relaxes a bit, surprised by the statement. "It's OK, Keith. I shouldn't have said what I did either. Truce?" He offers a lopsided grin to his friend as he reaches out his hand. Keith grasps it and the two men shake hands, the acts of a few hours before now forgiven. His errand complete, Keith turns and exits the room wordlessly.

Glancing at his teammates, the expression on the Red Lion pilot's face indicates his growing concern over his friend's erratic mood swings.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All together now - WEP owns everything except the voices in my head...

"Kitty, now that he's been suffering for a while, I think it's time we increase the spell's effects on the commander. Perhaps we should add some nightmares to invade the little sleep that he is able to achieve." Haggar waves her hands in a complicated pattern as she recites a spell in an archaic language. Her casting complete, she grins wickedly and lifts the blue feline, cradling it to her. Before she can begin stroking the cat's fur, the door to her laboratory opens. Turning, she watches as the Prince of Doom swaggers into the room confidently.

"Haggar, old witch, what evil are you up to now?"

"Why undermining the strength of Voltron, of course. I was able to learn that the captain suffers from insomnia, so I cast a spell on him to intensify the effects of his condition. He hasn't slept more than three hours a night since I cast the spell nearly three months ago." She cackles wickedly. "And just now, I added a second component to the spell so that he will be plagued with horrible nightmares during those few hours that he is able to sleep. As they say, my prince, 'one man's nightmare is another man's dream'. He will be unable to function well enough to dress himself soon, much less lead the Voltron Force. Victory will be yours."

Lotor grins and rubs his hands together. "And when Voltron falls, the princess will be mine! Why that will be a dream come true!"

* * *

The Castle of Lions is cloaked in darkness. A few lights shine from random windows, gently illuminating the night. Silhouetted in one such panel is the captain of the Voltron Force. He stands, facing the view outside the castle. Heaving a sigh, Keith raises his hand and runs it through his dark hair, increasing the disarray in his already disheveled locks. His eyes slowly close as he concentrates on keeping his breathing steady and even. After a minute, he allows his eyelids to flutter open again, focusing once more on the area outside the window.

A quiet knock breaks his silent reverie and he turns to face the door wearily. Wondering who could possibly be visiting him in the middle of the night, he calls out, "Who is it?"

"It's Allura. Can I come in, Keith?" Her voice is soft and muffled by the door panel, but her concern is still evident.

Glancing at the clock, he walks slowly to the door and presses the release panel to grant her entry. "What are you doin' up this time of night, Princess? You *do* realize that it's 2am, don't you?"

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing, Keith." The princess glides past him into the room, her gaze never leaving his face.

"How'd you even know I was awake?" His eyes narrow as he raises one eyebrow at her.

Allura blushes before slowly bringing one hand around from behind her back. "Chitter told me. He said that you had a nightmare over an hour ago and have been awake ever since. I thought I'd come and see if you were alright."

Keith eyes the pastel mouse resting in Allura's outstretched hand. "And just why were *you* spying on me?"

"Oh, don't be mad at Chitter, Keith. I asked him to keep an eye on you to make sure you were sleeping. I was worried about you." She looks up into his eyes, noting that his lids appear heavy, and the whites of his eyes are bloodshot. "Have you gotten *any* rest tonight?"

"Not really, maybe an hour or so." He shrugs before continuing quietly. "Every time I close my eyes, a thousand thoughts fight for my attention. And when I do manage to quiet the noise in my head enough to drift off, I've started having some pretty intense nightmares." He glances at her for a moment before turning away to stare out the window.

"Do you want to talk about any of it? Maybe I can help you sort through your thoughts enough for you to relax and fall asleep." Stepping around from behind him, she reaches out and takes his hand, gently leading him to the couch against the wall. Sitting down, she pulls him to a seated position next to her and turns to face him. "So, what's bothering you?"

"Nothing specific, I just have a lot of things on my mind. Doom, training, y'know, normal command stuff. The same things that are always on my mind, nothing new or different…"

"Do you want to talk about the confrontation you had with Lance earlier? What was that all about?"

"Nothing, just an old disagreement. Not something you need to be concerned over," he says dismissively hoping that she will drop the subject.

She looks down at his hand, still clasped in hers, and takes a deep breath. Her lips twitch and she slowly raises her gaze back up to his before beginning hesitantly. "Keith?"

"Yes, Princess?" His tone is flat, but she can't tell whether it's from exhaustion or the effort of controlling his temper.

She sighs and bites her lower lip before continuing. "Well, after you and Hunk left the control room earlier, Lance and Pidge mentioned something about…" She looks away from him unsure how to continue.

"They mentioned *what*, Princess?" Keith's voice is soft, yet still contains the steel of command as his eyes narrow.

She winces and tilts her head as she turns back to face him. Her eyes search his face and she momentarily reconsiders her decision to continue. "They said that there was something *she* should know. But they wouldn't tell me what *it* was or who *she* was…" Her voice grows quiet as she nervously finishes talking; no longer sure she wants to hear the answer.

Keith groans quietly and mutters something unintelligible under his breath before turning to face her once more. "Allura, it's nothing. Really. They shouldn't have said anything. Lance had already said more than enough." His biting tone makes it clear that he does not want to elaborate any further.

Ignoring his reaction, she presses on, her need to know intensifying. "But they did, Keith. And it sounded like something important. I just want to help." Her voice takes on a note of desperation as her eyes plead with him.

He rubs his hand across his face and heaves a sigh as he feels his resolve begin to crumble before her gentle but insistent onslaught. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" he asks matter-of-factly.

She shakes her head. "No, Keith. Please, tell me. I'm your friend, there's no reason for you to keep secrets from me."

Muttering something about Lance being a dead man, he chuckles quietly and shakes his head in defeat. "Oh, Princess, there are some things I absolutely should keep secret from you. And this is one of those things. You're the one person I should never tell about this."

"Why, Keith?"

His eyes soften as he gazes upon her. When he finally does speak, the words are barely a whisper on his breath. "Because… because, it's about you…"

"About me? You have a secret about me? I don't understand, Keith." Her brow furrows as she reaches up to cradle his cheek in her hand. As her thumb strokes his face, her eyes seek his. "Please, tell me, Keith," she softly coaxes.

Closing his eyes, Keith takes a deep breath and slowly releases it from between pursed lips. When he starts speaking, Allura has to lean closer to hear what he says. "I like you Allura…"

She frowns in confusion at his words, not realizing what he is really saying. "I know that, Keith. And I like you, too. That's not a secret…"

Opening his eyes, he locks his sable gaze onto her azure one. He swallows and then proceeds still whispering, "No, Allura. Not like that." He shakes his head slowly as he speaks. "More than that." His eyes break from hers and focus on her lips. "As more than just friends… But that can never happen…" His eyes flicker back up to hers before he closes them again and turns away.

"Oh, Keith…" Her hand still cradling his jaw, she tenderly turns his head so that he faces her once more and waits for his eyes to reopen. Slowly the distance between them disappears until they can feel the gentle puffs of each other's breath.

"Allura, this isn't right. I have nothing to offer you. I'm not of noble birth. I don't have resources to aid the people of Arus. I'm just a pilot. You deserve so much more than I could ever hope to provide."

"Stop being silly, Keith. You have plenty to offer. Why, if you hadn't come to Arus, we'd be slaves under Zarkon's rule right now."

His eyes flit down to her lips again as he unconsciously moistens his own. He leans in until there are mere millimeters separating them. His eyes slowly close…

Allura watches as his gaze moves down to her mouth before finding her eyes drawn to his lips as well. As they move ever closer, she closes her eyes in anticipation of their mouths making contact. After a minute, she slowly opens one eye a crack, trying to figure out why the kiss she had been anticipating never came. She stifles both a giggle and a sigh as she sees Keith's head lying limply against the back of the couch. Pushing down her disappointment at the missed opportunity, she stands up and gently arranges him into a more comfortable looking position. She wanders over to his bed and returns with a blanket and pillow. After draping the cover over him, she gently slips the cushion under his head. Not ready to leave her captain just yet, the princess squeezes onto the couch next to him and lightly strokes his hair.

Leaning over, she takes in his sleeping profile, a soft smile on her lips. The princess murmurs under her breath as her fingers sift through his silky mane. "Keith, how could you ever think you weren't good enough or didn't have anything to offer? You have everything to offer. You're the only one I'm interested in. Since the day you arrived, it's always been you… But I know that can't be all that's on your mind right now…" As she watches over him, Keith's eyes start to twitch and he begins to groan and thrash in his sleep.

"Shhh… It's OK, Keith. I'm here. Just sleep… Shhhh…" As Allura croons to him soothingly, she slips from the couch and kneels on the floor next to him, gently stroking his arm and shoulder until he settles back down. For the next hour or so, Keith sleeps fitfully, the majority of the time, plagued by nightmares. Only Allura's presence, gentle words, and soft caresses seem to counteract the uneasiness that torments him.

By 4am, Allura can no longer maintain her vigil as exhaustion overtakes her. She falls asleep leaning against the couch, her right hand tangled in Keith's hair, her left arm crooked behind his back, with her forearm under her head. Almost as soon as slumber claims her, Keith begins to have another nightmare. Without Allura's efforts to diffuse his discomfort, he awakens within minutes.

Blinking rapidly, Keith tries to understand why he is staring at the back of his couch. Suddenly, the events of earlier in the night come flooding back to him and he covers his eyes, groaning. As he begins maneuvering himself into a sitting position, he realizes that he's not alone. Moving carefully, he sees the princess slouched against the sofa. He sighs, knowing how uncomfortable her position must be and how stiff she will be when she wakes up. Slowly kneeling before her, he softly strokes her cheek with his fingers, delicately tracing her cheekbones and jawline, stopping just short of caressing her lips. Gently, he gathers her into his arms and carries her to his bed. He lays her down tenderly with her head on one of the pillows before turning to retrieve the blanket from the couch. After securely tucking her in, he retreats back to the sofa and sits, staring out the window as he waits for the sun to rise.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEP owns everything except the voices in my head. I just like to borrow their toys, cuz they're better than mine...

Lotor enters Haggar's laboratory, striding to take up a position beside her. "So, old witch, is the captain ready to surrender yet?"

The crone looks away from her crystal ball and faces the prince. "Not yet, sire. There seems to be a complication that I did not foresee." She hesitates, not wanting to explain further. When Lotor gestures impatiently for her to continue, she reluctantly elaborates. "It appears that a bond has been forming between the captain and the princess that allows her to counteract some of the effects of my spells. I will have to make adjustments to the magic in order to compensate for her presence."

"A bond between them? I won't have it! Find a way to break that connection!" His voice rises in volume until he is nearly shouting at the stooped form in front of him. "She is meant to be mine, not his. I thought you said this was supposed to be his nightmare! I will not let it become mine! Fix this or I will make it your nightmare, crone!"

"As you wish, sire," Haggar simpers, bowing her cloaked head. "I was researching additional spells when you arrived."

As Haggar turns back to her crystal ball and ancient tomes, Lotor makes his way from the room, an angry scowl on his face.

* * *

Warm morning sunshine spills through the windows of the castle signaling the start of a new day. Allura stretches and yawns, then snuggles deeper beneath the blankets, sighing contentedly. Rolling over, she slowly opens her eyes only to realize that she's not in her room. A brief moment of panic sets in before she takes in her surroundings and recognizes where she is. Slipping out of the bed, she quietly pads over to the couch. As she approaches, she sees Keith sitting with his back against the sofa's armrest, his legs stretched out before him, crossed at the ankles. He looks up as she draws near and smiles gently at her. "Morning, Princess. You sleep alright?"

"Yes, I did, thank you. Not that I remember falling asleep in the first place. Did you manage to get any sleep last night, Keith?"

"An hour or so after we talked." He blushes slightly, refusing to meet her gaze. "Then I had another nightmare and woke up to find you sprawled on the floor leaning against the couch. I knew there was no way you could be comfortable like that, so I put you into my bed. I was afraid you'd wake up if I carried you all the way back to your room. I hope you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind. I was very comfortable." A rose flush colors her cheeks as she answers him. "Do you want to talk about the dreams that you're having? Maybe I can help figure out how to stop them? I sat up with you for a while after you fell asleep and you were very restless. I did what I could to calm you for as long as I could." She watches him fidget uneasily at the mention of his nightmares. If only she knew how to ease his anxiety.

"That's the thing." He shrugs in defeat. "Once I wake up, I don't remember the dreams at all. I just know that they are intense and unsettling. And afterwards I always have a feeling of impending doom and can't fall asleep again." He pauses for a minute as he stares outside. "You know, I've stared out that window for so long that I think I can actually see that tree over there growing." He points to a slender sapling outside the window and shakes his head slowly. She frowns at the random change in conversation, realizing that lack of sleep is affecting his thought processes more than she initially estimated.

Allura sighs as she studies his face, then slips onto the couch, squeezing between the armrest and his feet. When he begins to move in an effort to provide her with more room to sit, she instead pulls his feet onto her lap. "Keith, there has to be something we can do to help you sleep better, besides having me sit up with you all night. Maybe Dr. Gorma can give you some sleeping pills or something." She knows he won't agree, but she is determined to help him through this.

"You know that's not the answer, Allura." He shakes his head, trying to stop his sigh from turning into a yawn. "I need to be able to wake up at a moment's notice in case of an emergency or attack. Sleeping pills won't allow for that." He rubs at his face with one hand, letting out a deep breath. "I just have to let this run its course. It's what I've always done in the past, though the nightmares are a new added pleasure." He grimaces and leans his head back against the wall.

As they continue to talk, Allura begins absentmindedly rubbing Keith's feet and calves. She notices that his replies start to grow slurred and he begins to mumble. His eyes drift close and before long, his breathing steadies. Realizing that he has fallen asleep again, she slips out from underneath his legs and heads back to his bed for pillows and a blanket. After tucking him in and propping the cushions behind him, she makes her way back into her seat, waiting to see if the nightmares return.

* * *

Stretching and yawning, Lance wanders into the dining room, rubbing his bleary eyes. Looking around, he sees Pidge and Hunk have already arrived. "Morning, guys. Any sign of Keith or the princess yet?"

"No, but maybe it means Keith's finally sleeping again." Pidge raises his eyes hopefully. "I sure hope so at least…"

"Yeah, me too. After all, when his mood flips again, I'm the one with the target on my back, handshake or no handshake." Lance eyes the door warily as he takes his seat at the table.

"I wonder where the princess is though. She's usually here by now." Hunk sighs as he waits for breakfast to be served.

When the three men finish eating their morning meal, their two missing teammates still have not arrived. "OK, I can understand Keith not showing up this morning if he's finally getting some sleep, but where's Allura?" Lance furrows his brow as he taps his lips with his index finger.

"I'll go check on her, Lance." Hunk stands up from the table and starts making his way out of the room before anyone can stop him.

As the door closes, Lance and Pidge turn to face each other. "I guess we can go check on Keith then," Lance says as he rises from his seat. "You coming, Pidge?"

"Sure, though I'm not getting between the two of you if you set him off again." Pidge shakes his head and giggles as he ducks past Lance's half-hearted slap.

As they exit the dining room and turn towards their captain's quarters, Hunk races at them from the direction of Allura's royal suite.

The two smaller men manage to narrowly avoid being run over and turn to their hefty companion. "What gives, Hunk? Where's the fire?" Lance brushes the sleeves of his jacket, glaring.

"The princess… she wasn't… in her room…" Hunk manages to pant out as he gasps for breath.

"Not in her room? Well then where is she?" a worried look settles on Pidge's face.

"Her bed had been… slept in, but not… made. No sign of a struggle." Hunk's breathing slows as he finishes his sentence. "She obviously left of her own free will, but where would she have gone?"

"We'd better go get Keith. He'll never forgive us if we don't, whether he's asleep or not." Lance sighs heavily and resumes his journey.

Arriving at the captain's door, Lance knocks gently. Not knowing what mood Keith will be in when he answers the door has him apprehensive. He's surprised when the missing princess greets them a few seconds later. Taking advantage of his stunned reaction, she slips past him into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

"Princess!"

"Shhh, Pidge. Keith's sleeping and I'd like to keep from waking him up. What's all the fuss about?"

"We were worried when neither one of you showed up for breakfast. We hoped it meant that Keith was finally getting some rest, but we didn't know where you were. And then when we checked your room, there was no sign of you. We were actually coming to get Keith to help search for you." Lance utters reproachfully as he catches Allura's eyes.

"Oh, I completely lost track of the time. I didn't mean to worry you boys."

"Princess, what where you doin' in Keith's room anyway?" Hunk looks at her with his eyebrows raised.

She blushes faintly before answering quietly. "I had asked Chitter to keep an eye on Keith and make sure he was sleeping. Around two this morning, he came and told me that Keith had had a nightmare and been awake for an hour. I came to check on him and we talked for a while." She turns a slightly brighter shade of pink, and then looks at Lance. "You should have told me, either one of you…" Tilting her head down, she pins Pidge with her azure gaze before waggling her finger in front of each of them.

"He told you? He actually told you?" Lance breathes incredulously. "I didn't think he'd ever do it… Maybe there something to be said for sleep deprivation after all…"

"He didn't want to. I had to drag it out of him." She glares at them each once more before resuming her story. "Anyway, he finally fell asleep, but almost immediately started having horrible nightmares. It was all I could do to keep calming him back down so he wouldn't wake up completely. Eventually, I fell asleep too. When I woke up, he was already wide-awake thanks to another bad dream, so we talked some more until he dozed back off. Now I really need to get back in there before he wakes up again."

The sound of a door opening causes the four figures to turn slowly in unison. "Too late, he's already awake," he growls. "Did I call a meeting outside my room this morning and somehow forget about it?" Keith grunts as he stands in his doorway, blinking at the crowded hallway, a scowl plastered on his face.

"Uh, no, we, um, we were just looking for the princess." Pidge stammers. "Found her. OK, Hunk, it's your turn to hide."

The three men turn and take off down the hallway without another word. Allura watches them disappear before slowly turning to face Keith again. "Another nightmare?" Her eyes search his face in concern.

"Yeah," he intones quietly. He leans against the doorframe and closes his eyes, swallowing heavily, his arms crossed before him.

"Oh, Keith" She closes the distance between them and wraps her arms around him, holding him close. "We'll figure this out. I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEP owns everything but the voices in my head.

In a dark room filled with arcane tomes, beakers, and flasks filled with smoking fluids, a loud cackle wafts on the air currents. "Finally, something to counteract the bond that is preventing my spells from succeeding!"

Haggar bends over the volume lying open before her and traces her clawed fingertip down the page. Nearby, her blue cat idly flicks an ear at the scraping sound that results. "Just a few more ingredients and that infernal captain won't know what hit him!"

She pours the contents of a few jars and beakers into a large bowl. Waving her hand through the mist emanating from it, she adds a single drop of a swirling silver liquid. The contents of the bowl flash brightly and disappear. "Come, Kitty, let's go find the prince and watch as our plan unfolds!" Gathering her pet into her arms, she leaves her laboratory with an evil grin on her face.

* * *

The five lions of Voltron fly in the airspace near the castle for a training session. Hovering in a group, the red, blue, green, and yellow cats turn to face their leader for their instructions.

"Alright, everyone, first we form a starburst formation. Then we'll skirt that mountain and take out the targets in the clearing behind it. Any questions?" barks the Voltron Force captain gruffly.

"Yeah, I have one, Keith," snorts his second in command. "Are you sure you're up to this? Shouldn't we call off practice today so you can sleep? Missing one day won't kill us, and you really need the rest…" As he trails off, Lance attempts to soften his tone and take some of the sting from his words.

"I'm fine, Lance," Keith growls over the communicator screen, "and we can use all the practice we can get. Now, if you're ready, let's go!"

Lance shakes his head and mutters something under his breath. The others can only make out the words "stubborn" and "bad idea".

"Wanna repeat that so we can all hear it?" There is no trace of humor in Keith's low tone as he snaps irritably at his second.

"No, sir! It was nothing," spits the Red Lion pilot as he tosses off a mocking salute. "Starburst formation. Got it!" He grips the control handle and adjusts Red Lion's heading, glaring menacingly at the viewscreen and biting back any further comments.

Keith returns his glare silently for the space of a few heartbeats, his face tightening dangerously in anger. He bites back the reprimand he wants to hurl at Lance in response. Instead he reaches up and violently flips the toggle to cut the communication channel.

The team quickly falls into formation behind Black Lion, following Keith along the specified course. As they approach the firing zone, the lead ship wobbles briefly before quickly regaining its proper position and orientation.

"Keith, are you *sure* you're alright?" Allura asks quietly and hesitantly.

"I'm fine, Princess! Worry about Blue Lion and leave Black to me!" he snarls out testily. "Now, does anyone else want to second guess my orders or are we ready to take out those targets?" challenges Keith with a menacing hiss.

Allura sighs, clearly unhappy that her captain is turning his temper on her now. Unwilling to risk increasing his ire, she lets the subject drop. However, she exchanges a worried glance with the Red Lion pilot on her secondary screen before silently turning back to the task at hand.

Racing around the mountain, all five lions begin firing missiles, lasers, and claws as the assorted targets placed throughout the clearing come into sight. Once again, Black Lion appears to have difficulty holding position and swings wildly, right into the path of an oncoming warhead.

"Keith! Look out!" Allura's cry reaches her captain's ears just as the projectile impacts the left hindquarter of his Lion ship. Smoke pours from the collision site at the cat's hip.

Keith's pained bellow echoes through the other four cockpits as Black Lion spirals to the ground. Landing with a jarring thud, the ship lies silent and motionless. Lance tries to raise his captain, but his hails go unanswered. Fearing the worst, he pulls out the lucky rabbit's foot he carries with him.

All weapons activity ceases as the four lions still airborne race to land near their fallen leader.

The princess leaps from Blue Lion. "KEITH!" Her terrified scream echoes through the clearing as she runs to the head of the downed ship. Lance follows, mere inches behind her. When they enter the cockpit, they find Keith slumped over in his seat, unconscious and unresponsive. A cursory examination shows no sign of blood or obvious injury. "Lance, we have to get him back to the castle quickly. There's no time to lose getting him to Doctor Gorma. Hopefully he didn't suffer any internal injuries."

"Right, I'll take him back in Red. Call ahead and have a trauma team ready, Princess. Pidge and Hunk can tow Black in and survey the damage." Lance bends down, pulls Keith across his shoulders, and carries him back out of the ship. Allura follows behind, launching Blue Lion off the ground before Lance can even set Keith down on the floor of Red's command center.

"Pidge, you and Hunk are on tow duty. We'll get Keith back for evaluation. Start any repairs needed and we'll give you an update on his condition when we have one." Lance barks out the orders to the rest of the team as he follows the princess's lion back to the castle.

* * *

Hunk and Pidge deposit the Black Lion in the repair bay before retuning their own ships to their respective lairs. The two men regroup in the hangar and begin to examine the prone machine before them.

"It looks like there are a few power relays burnt out back here, but I'm not seeing a lot of other damage besides scorch marks. You see anything, Pidge?"

Pidge's voice echoes back from within Black Lion's head, "No, all the command consoles look good. I'd say Keith got lucky and only took a glancing impact." He jumps down and lands neatly next to Hunk. "I hate to say it, but Lance was right. Keith should have called off practice today. I think the lack of sleep is finally starting to catch up to him. He shouldn't have been having so much trouble keeping in formation. Both his decision making and motor skills are starting to show the strain of exhaustion."

"We all know that, but the trick is getting him to admit it. You know how stubborn he is about this sort of thing. Let's get these relays replaced and see if Lance has an update."

The two men turn to the task at hand, determined to finish the repairs as quickly as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEP owns everything except the voices in my head...

"So, how is he Doctor Gorma?" Allura nearly tackles the burly physician as he emerges from the examination room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Keith should be fine once he gets some rest. He was lucky and didn't sustain any major injuries, just some bumps and bruises, but he is showing symptoms of severe exhaustion. Has he not been sleeping lately?"

Without standing up from the chair he's slumped in, the Red Lion pilot takes a deep breath before speaking. "Keith suffers from insomnia, Doc. He's in the middle of an episode right now." Lance sighs as he continues quietly, refusing to meet the doctor's gaze. "We've just gotten him to admit to having issues for the past few weeks, but to be honest, we all suspect it's been at least two or three times that long since he's had a full night's rest." He keeps his eyes focused on his hands where they dangle listlessly between his knees.

"Then why hasn't he been in to see me? We have plenty of treatment options to try out. He can't survive without proper sleep." The doctor looks to Voltron's second questioningly, his eyebrows raised.

Looking up, Lance shrugs helplessly. "C'mon, Doc. You know Keith well enough by now to know that it's gonna take more than sleeplessness to get him in here on his own." Exasperation is evident in Lance's tone as he waves his hand at the closed door in obvious frustration.

"Well, he's here now. I've given him a mild sedative to keep him asleep for the next few hours. Once he's rested a bit, we can determine the next step to take."

Allura turns to Lance and he stands, opening his arms to her. She steps forward into his embrace and starts quietly sobbing in relief as he holds her close. "It'll be alright, Princess. You heard the doc, Keith's gonna be fine. We'll find a solution to get him sleeping again."

* * *

 In the hospital room, Keith tosses and turns in his bed, groaning and mumbling in response to the nightmare that is overwhelming his mind. His eyes twitch rapidly in an unsuccessful attempt to open and end the torment he's experiencing. However the sedative administered by the doctor is preventing him from coming fully awake. Trapped between sleep and wakefulness, he thrashes about in an effort to escape his tortured dreams.

Hearing noises issuing from Keith's hospital room, Allura breaks free from Lance and rushes to the door. She barely waits for it to open before pushing inside and racing to a position beside the bed. Lance follows her in more slowly and lounges against the wall, watching in concern as she tries to sooth the writhing form of their captain. She softly croons to him as she tries to gently calm his flailing motions. Lance frowns as he realizes that her actions are not having the desired affect and Keith's agitation is not diminishing at all nor is he awakening. Slipping back out through the open doorway, he searches for the doctor.

A few minutes later, the two men reenter the room and find that Allura is still desperately trying to find a way to reduce Keith's desperate attempts to fight the demons that are invading his dreams. "It's OK, Keith. Relax, shhhh…. I'm right here." The princess is near tears as her efforts seem to have none of their usual effect on him as he continues to mutter and groan incoherently.

Doctor Gorma positions himself on the other side of Keith's bed and gestures to Lance. "Hold his head still for me."

Lance quickly moves past Allura and reaches down, straining as he immobilizes Keith's head. "Make it quick, Doc. I don't know how long I can hold him like this." At the same time, Keith's cries increase in volume and frequency as he attempts to move his head from side to side.

The doctor reaches down and gently raises Keith's eyelid. He then shines a penlight into the dark, unfocused eye. He releases his hold and repeats his actions with the other eye. "Alright, Lance, you can let him go now." The physician sighs before gently tapping his lower lip as he stands lost in thought.

"What is it, Doctor?" Allura looks with concern from the man in the bed, to the doctor.

"How long has he been having these nightmares?" he asks pensively, his eyes narrowed.

"I don't know, but I think they are a pretty recent thing. Though earlier when he was having a nightmare, he'd either wake right up, or I could calm him back down into a more restful sleep. Now it's like he can't do either and nothing I do seems to help him at all…" The princess struggles to hold back the tears that suddenly form in her eyes.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say there was some outside influence behind this. There is no medical reason for him to be in this state. The sedative I gave him should have been strong enough to encourage completely dreamless sleep. Instead it just appears to prevent him from waking from the nightmare. There isn't anything else we can do until it wears off. I don't want to take the risk of giving him a stimulant right now when he's already having sleep issues. Unfortunately, I gave him enough to keep him out for a couple of hours…"

As Allura looks down at her captain's prone form, the tears welling in her eyes begin to spill down her cheeks. "Oh, Keith. What's happening to you?" She reaches down and strokes his hair and face gently, desperately trying to offer him some bit of peace as he struggles against the demons that have invaded his sleeping mind.

* * *

 "Prince Lotor, the time is ripe for you to attack. The captain is caught in a nightmare between sleep and wakefulness. There is no way he will be able to join the battle and without him, there can be no Voltron!"

"Finally, old witch! It's about time you came up with a plan that worked! I *will* have my princess! Have a robeast loaded and ready to go immediately. It's time to make my dream come true." Lotor grins wickedly and rubs his hands together as he sets off to launch his battle cruiser. "Princess Allura will be mine at last!

"Come, Kitty, let's go pick out the perfect gift for planet Arus…"

* * *

 Allura races into Castle Control, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk right on her heels as the alarm blares throughout the palace. "Coran, what's going on?" The princess looks to her advisor for an update.

"We've picked up a battleship approaching from planet Doom. A coffin ship accompanies it. I fear we are about to be attacked!"

"And with Keith laid up in the medical wing, we don't have Voltron. I have a bad feeling about this…" Lance shoves his hands into his jacket pockets and glares at the image on the viewscreen.

"Well, we better get up there and see what's going on. C'mon, boys, let's get those lions in the air." Within moments Coran finds himself alone once more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEP owns everything except the voices in my head. I just use their toys for my own purposes...

"Here come the lions. Launch the robeast, but remember - I want the princess alive!" snarls the white haired Prince of Doom. "The Blue Lion must be captured, not destroyed. I want the princess unharmed! The other infernal beasts, on the other hand, should be blown to bits!" Lotor paces in front of the forward display, watching as his soldiers rush to follow his orders.

Before he can complete another full circuit, the monster is released from the coffin ship and energized with a powerful ray. Bellowing in rage, the creature turns to face the lions that approach from below. As they close the distance, the scorpion shaped robot shoots a bright purple beam from the end of its tail. The lions scatter, barely avoiding the effects of the ray. Choosing to target the Red Lion, the monster opens its mouth and fires a volley of missiles at the charging cat. Lance pulls up on his control handle, narrowly escaping the impact.

Lance regains control and turns to face the creature again, while Pidge fires his own powerful beam weapon from the Green Lion's tail. He scores a hit on the scorpion's claw, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on the beast. The monster then turns and grabs for the Green Lion, managing to capture a hind leg in its large pinchers. Raising the claw in the air, the large arachnid swings the helpless cat around in circles. Inside his cockpit, Pidge screams as he holds on to his controls tightly in an effort to keep from being tossed about the command center.

Lance advances on the scorpion again in an attempt to free his teammate. Bringing his lion knife to bear, he attempts to sever the limb holding the Green Lion. Underestimating the speed of his opponent, Lance instead finds himself in a similar predicament to Pidge as he is captured and twirled through the air, his lion knife tumbling off into the distance.

Hunk launches his rotor missiles and manages to sever the creature's 'stinger' from the end of its tail. The distracted monster releases the two captive lions which fall limply to the ground.

"Nice shooting, Hunk!" Allura yells out as she sends forth a flood of water at the creature's damaged area, hoping to cause a short circuit before attempting to check on her downed teammates. "Lance, Pidge are you alright?"

"I'm a bit dizzy, but otherwise OK, Princess," comes the determined reply from the Green Lion.

"Yeah, me too, Princess. But remind me to ask Haggar for a refund of my ticket price. Doom's got to have the worst carnival rides anywhere!" Lance quips as he raises Red Lion into the air and rejoins the fight.

Before anyone can fire another volley at the enraged monster, it lunges again, this time aiming for the princess's Blue Lion. Catching her by the tail, it begins racing back to the command ship, dragging its prize along with it.

"Quick, free the princess!" Lance shouts as he chases the scorpion. "Lion Torch!" At his command, a blaze of fire spews forth from his lion's mouth towards the fleeing creature. The flames seem to have no effect on the armored beast.

"Rocket Grenades!" A series of spiked projectiles streak toward the creature, exploding on impact. As before, the monster doesn't even acknowledge the attack.

"Alright, let me try." Hunk's deep voice echoes through the communications link to the other lions. "Rip Claw!" The Yellow Lion extends its front left paw and takes aim at its target. Suddenly, its claws shoot forth from the rest of the paw creating a series of detonations as they hit the damaged tail of the creature. Finding herself suddenly free of the creature's hold, Allura turns the Blue Lion to face her recent captor before firing her eye beams in the monster's face. Pivoting quickly, she races back to rejoin her teammates.

"We're getting nowhere fast! We sure could use Voltron right about now…" Pidge frowns as he studies his control panel trying to find a weapon that can damage the robeast.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?"

Four gasps echo over the communication system in response to Keith's quietly groaned question.

"Skipper! You're back!" Pidge's voice is jubilant with excitement.

"About time you showed up, Keith. I was starting to think you didn't want to share in the fun!" quips the Red Lion pilot.

"Lance, you know me, I could never let you have all the glory…" The rough rasp of weary strain contrasts sharply to the amusement in Keith's voice.

"Keith! But how… I thought… "

"It's me, Princess. Save the questions for later. Right now, let's take care of business!"

"Good to have you back, Chief!"

"Good to be back Hunk."

"Ready to form Voltron!" Keith's voice rings throughout the lion command centers, though lacking much of the strength it normally carries. At his command, the five lions soar into formation.

"Activate Interlocks!" Five sets of control handles click gently as they are locked into their upright positions.

"Dynotherms Connected" Five keys reconfigure in their slots, accommodating the new conformation of the lion ships.

"Infracells Up!" As Keith watches, the lights glow in sequence on the control panel indicating the readiness of each component of the mighty robot.

"Megathrusters are Go!" Five consoles realign in order to provide access to additional switches and buttons.

"Let's go Voltron Force!" Five voices thunder in unison through the cockpits.

"Form Feet and Legs!" Blue and Yellow Lions bend and twist into Voltron's lower extremities as they slip onto Black Lion's rear paws.

"Form Arms and Body!" Red and Green Lions transform into powerful limbs and attach to Black Lion's shoulders.

"And I'll form… the Head!" Black Lion's jaws open wide to reveal the face of the mighty robot.

Deafening roars are emitted from each lion's mouth in confirmation of their successful assembly into Voltron.

"Alright team, let's make this quick! Form Blazing Sword!"

The heads of the Red and Green Lions, now serving as Voltron's hands, meet in front of the robot's chest touching briefly before separating to reveal a glowing blade forming between them.

"Fire Electroforce Cross!" A glowing symbol shoots from the insignia on the Voltron's broad chest and stuns the large scorpion. Before it can regain control, Voltron cleaves it in two with a powerful stoke of his sword. Keith allows the momentum of the swing to carry them safely away from the exploding robeast, and then rights the robot to watch the destruction.

Turning Voltron's head, Keith opens a line to the Doom battlecruiser. "Lotor, go home or you'll suffer the same fate as your monster." The robot points his mighty sword in the direction of the command ship.

"Captain, shouldn't you be in bed hugging your teddy bear? Or did a bad dream wake you up?" Lotor's tone is mocking as he glares through the monitor.

Allura gasps as the implied meaning of the prince's words becomes clear to her.

"You'll wish I was still in bed when I get through with you!" Keith hisses angrily.

Lotor scowls as he breaks the connection and orders his ship to return to Doom.

"OK team, let's disengage and head for home." Fatigue begins to creep into Keith's tone once more.

* * *

Arriving back in Castle Control, the team gathers around their leader. "Keith, I thought the doctor said he gave you enough sedatives to keep you out for another couple of hours. How'd you manage to get up and out of bed?" Lance eyes his friend in confusion.

"When the alarms went off, Doctor Gorma started monitoring the battle. When he realized that things weren't going well, he knew he had to take the risk and give me a stimulant so that we'd have Voltron."

"How are you feeling now, Keith?" Allura asks, reaching for his arm and searching his face.

"Tired, like I could sleep for a week, but my head is pounding." Grimacing, he reaches up and rubs his face with both hands before pressing his palms against his temples.

"Maybe we'd better get you back to the doctor." She starts to gently lead her captain into the hallway.

"No, Princess." Keith starts to shake his head, before realizing how badly it will affect his headache. He abruptly stops, closes his eyes, and swallows hard, before continuing quietly. "That's not necessary, I'm fine. I'll just go back to my room, take some aspirin, and try to sleep." He reopens his eyes slowly and tries to smile at her reassuringly.

Knowing that arguing with him will only make matters worse, she reluctantly nods. "OK. I'll send Chitter to check on you in a little while." She gives his arm a gentle squeeze and offers a small halfhearted grin as she removes her hand.

Keith gingerly shakes his head as he slowly makes his way from the room muttering something about having a mouse for a babysitter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEP owns everything except the voices in my head. I just like to invade their space and move things around when no one's looking...

Keith arrives at his quarters and makes his way to the bathroom for some aspirins. After swallowing the pills, he collapses onto his bed without bothering to undress. Pulling the blanket over himself, he turns onto his side and closes his eyes. He concentrates on his breathing, attempting to keep each lungful steady and even. Finally, with the medicine working to reduce the throbbing in his skull, he is able to relax enough to drift off. He sleeps peacefully for about fifteen minutes before he once again finds himself in the throes of a nightmare. Calling out in his sleep, he suddenly sits bolt upright, his breath coming in short ragged gasps, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. Shaking his head slowly, Keith pinches the bridge of his nose as he attempts to calm his body's panicked responses to the events within his dream. "I really wish I could remember what these nightmares are about," he mutters to himself under his breath. Reaching up, he buries his hand in his hair, scratching his scalp. Stretching, he closes his eyes and tries unsuccessfully to find any clue to the demons haunting his sleep. Giving up, he tries to settle back down on the bed in an effort to get some rest.

Once again, Keith attempts to slow his breathing and clear his mind by concentrating on the movement of air into and out of his lungs. As Keith works to achieve slumber, Chitter slips from his hiding place in the captain's room and perches on the nightstand where he can better observe Keith's efforts. Unable to find a position where he feels comfortable enough to fall asleep, Keith tosses and turns for a while, grunting and growling in frustration as slumber evades him once more. Frowning, the small mouse shakes his head and runs off to make his report.

* * *

"What's that Chitter? Keith's still not sleeping?" The mouse gestures frantically as he squeaks out his message, his arms flailing wildly. "Oh, he *was* sleeping, but had another nightmare. And he can't fall asleep again?" The small creature stands in the palm of the princess's hand as he provides additional details. "I see. Don't worry Chitter. Yes, I'll go check on him." She watches attentively as the mouse pantomimes and chirps again. "Yes, we'll find a way to fix him. Thank you for your help." She lowers her hand so that the rodent can leap onto the table and join his friends.

Sitting on the couch, Lance has been silently observing Allura's exchange with Chitter. As it ends, he stands and approaches her. "Princess, just how do you propose to *fix* Keith?" He smirks and snickers as he repeats her words. "I'm not sure you can get him to go back to Doctor Gorma unless he crashes his lion and knocks himself out again." He tilts his head and screws up his lips. "Though I guess, we could always just knock him out and drag him back to the hospital if you want." He makes a fist and punches the palm of his other hand, winking as he does so.

"I'm not sure yet, Lance." She shrugs, shaking her head and ignoring his implied threat against the commander. "But first, I'm going to go talk to him and see what's going on." She raises her blue eyes to meet his hazel stare. "Maybe I can talk him into visiting the doctor," she says as if trying to convince herself of the possibility.

Lance snorts at that idea before taking on a more serious expression. "And then? What if he still isn't able to sleep or still has nightmares?" His hands go to her shoulders as he returns her determined gaze, raising his eyebrows.

"Then I will have you bring Doctor Gorma to him. We can't let him keep suffering like this indefinitely."

"Alright. I'll go with you and wait outside his door. When I hear him bellow because you threaten to get the doctor, I'll take that as my cue." Lance chuckles softly, taking his hands from her shoulders and gesturing for her to precede him.

Hiding a giggle behind her hand, Allura tries to keep her composure as Lance follows her out of the room.

* * *

Keith paces slowly before the window in his quarters, counting how many footsteps it takes to get from one wall to the other using a variety of different gaits. Just as he is about to complete another trip, a gentle knock on the door distracts him. Sighing, he turns and strides to the panel, opening the door. Before he can react, Allura sweeps into the room, grabs his hand, and drags him to the sofa. Placing one hand on each of his shoulders, she pushes him down to a seated position before taking a place beside him. "Princess? What are you doing?" He blinks at her in confusion.

"Checking on you. Chitter told me that you had another nightmare and then couldn't fall asleep again. I want you to see Doctor Gorma for help. You can't keep going on like this, Keith. You were lucky earlier in practice. You could have been seriously injured when Black Lion took that hit. Fortunately the damage to you both turned out to be minimal." She stands and begins pacing hurriedly before the sofa, her arms flailing around, as she continues her tirade. "But, you can't keep risking yourself like that. We nearly didn't have you with us to fight off the robeast today. And from Lotor's comments, it's likely that the witch Haggar has something to do with your condition." The princess falls back to her seat on the couch with a thud. "That means you aren't going to be able to just wait it out this time." Allura's voice grows frantic as she lectures Keith, her arms gesticulating wildly.

He sits silently listening to her and watches as tears begin to form in her eyes. He's so absorbed in scrutinizing her that he fails to notice when she stops speaking. "Keith...? Ke-eith…?"

He starts and blinks rapidly as he realizes that she has been repeating his name and waving her hands in front of his face, trying to get his attention. "Sorry, guess I was in another world for a while there."

She raises an eyebrow at him and sighs loudly. "Did you even hear a single word I said?" The princess folds her arms across her chest and studies his face.

"Yeah, it was something about Haggar being behind Chitter flying Black Lion…" He mumbles incoherently as if this made perfect sense to him.

Closing her eyes, the princess presses her lips into a thin line as she works to maintain her composure. She is rapidly losing patience with the man before her. After taking a few deep breaths, she opens her eyes and catches his gaze. "Keith, are you listening this time? I need you to pay attention to what I am about to say, OK?"

He nods and wets his lips as his eyes lock on her mouth, studying it intently. Once again she begins to explain her theory that Haggar's magic is the cause of both his insomnia and his nightmares. But before she can get more than the first few syllables out, he slowly leans forward, mesmerized as he watches her lips move. Caught off guard and confused by his strange movements and expression, she stops speaking mid-sentence. Her breath catches as he draws closer and closer. She swallows convulsively as his exhalations gently puff against her mouth. His eyes close and hers long to do the same, but she resists the urge, remembering the last time he nearly kissed her. Watching entranced, she sees him part his lips ever so slightly as the distance between them disappears. As their mouths make contact, she allows her eyes to drift closed, concentrating on the softness of his lips where they touch hers. The kiss doesn't last more than a few seconds, but it feels like a divine eternity to the princess.

"I'm sorry. You were saying something important… I didn't mean to interrupt…" His voice is a husky whisper as his eyes wander over her face once the kiss ends.

"Uhhhh, yeah… I was… ummm… something about…" She leans toward him and they embrace once more. This time the kiss is a little deeper, a little more passionate, and a lot longer. Their hands find their way into each other's hair and explore each other's backs with gentle caresses as they hold one another close. When they finally separate again, a yawn escapes Keith and he blinks sleepily.

Allura watches as he struggles to stay awake before standing and taking his hands to gently pull him up with her. When he suddenly sags against her, she nearly loses her footing and is barely able to maintain her balance in order to keep them both upright. Knowing that Lance is right outside, Allura gives up trying to maneuver Keith by herself. "Lance, I need your help in here please!" Before the last words are out of her mouth, the door opens and the Red Lion pilot rushes to her side, relieving her of most of Keith's weight. Lance raises a delicate eyebrow as he drags Keith's limp arm over his shoulders and helps Allura steer him to the bed. They get him to a sitting position before letting him fall backward across the mattress. Allura bends down and gently tugs his boots from his feet. With Lance's help, she repositions him so that his head rests on a pillow before the princess gently tucks him in.

Trying not to wake him, Lance and Allura move quietly back to Keith's couch and sit down. "What happened, Princess?"

"Well, I was talking to him, trying to explain my theory that Haggar's magic was behind his sleep issues and he wouldn't concentrate on anything I said. At one point, he thought I told him that Haggar made Chitter fly Black Lion…"

Lance snickers and rolls his eyes. "Oh yeah, he's perfectly fine. No problems with lack of sleep there…" He shoots a glance at the slumbering man in the bed, shaking his head before looking back at the princess. "Go on…" He gestures with his hand for her to continue.

"Well, then I told him to pay attention and he just kept staring at me before he leaned in and…" She trails off reliving the moment in her mind as a faint blush colors her cheeks.

"And what, Princess?" Lance's eyebrow shoots up in amusement as he reads her reaction, his eyes dancing.

"Oh, nothing Lance, nothing." She waves off his question dismissively.

He smirks at her. "Uh-huh. Nothing, huh? I know what nothing looks like and that look on your face is not nothing."

She flushes a few shades redder and turns away.

His expression grows serious as he leans forward. "Wait, did he…? Did he finally *kiss* you, Princess?"

She refuses to meet his gaze, but when she turns scarlet, Lance has his confirmation. "Well, who knew he actually had it in 'im?" he breaths. Lance shakes his head in wonder and looks back toward Keith again. "But that doesn't explain why he was out on his feet when I got in here."

"I don't know what happened, but he suddenly yawned and couldn't keep his eyes open." Her own eyes widen in shock. "Do you think that when he… when I… when we… that it could have broken the spell?" She looks up at Lance questioningly.

He shrugs in response. "I honestly don't know, Princess. Maybe. But I don't have a lot of experience, education, or even general knowledge when it comes to magic. How long after he falls asleep do the nightmares usually tend to start?"

She puts a finger to her lips and taps gently as she thinks. "I think about fifteen or twenty minutes maybe? How long has he been asleep so far?"

"Half an hour or so. I'd say if they don't start again in the next ten minutes, he may be cured."

"I'm going to go sit with him and wait. You're free to go, Lance. Thank you for your help." She leans forward and impulsively kisses him on the cheek as she dismisses him.

"My pleasure, Princess. And congratulations." The Red Lion pilot winks at her cheekily as he strides out of the room, a faint blush staining his face.

Shaking her head, Allura makes her way back to Keith's bed and pulls off her own boots before lying down next to him. As she reclines on top of the covers, she watches him sleep peacefully, a soft smile on her lips.

* * *

"What do you mean they found a way to break the spell? I thought you said this was foolproof, you old bat!"

"There was only one way to break the spell. He had to kiss his one true love. How was I supposed to know she was his and that he would manage to kiss her in his state of delirium?"

"Bah, your magic is useless! One man's nightmare, indeed! You're going to be the one having nightmares, Haggar!" Growling, Lotor reaches down and angrily swings out his arm causing numerous containers from the counter to go crashing onto the floor, shattering on impact.

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes, Keith stretches and yawns, feeling more rested than he has in months. Rolling onto his side, he sees that he is not alone in his bed. Recognizing the woman sleeping next to him, he smiles softly as watches her slumber. Reaching out, he gently slides a tendril of blonde hair from her face before caressing her cheek softly.

Allura's eyes flutter open and she smiles when she sees Keith watching her through half lidded eyes.

"Sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to wake you," he whispers huskily.

"It's OK, Keith. You're the one who really needs the sleep. Have you been awake long? Did you have any nightmares?"

"No to both questions. I've only been awake for a few minutes. And before you ask, no I don't know how long I slept since I don't know when I fell asleep. But I feel much more rested than I have for quite some time."

Turning to look at the clock behind her, Allura takes note of the time before rolling back to face him again. "It looks like you slept for about 11 hours. I think you're cured."

He chuckles quietly. "Considering it would take nearly a week to get that much sleep before, I think you may be right." He covers his mouth as a yawn escapes him. "And how long have *you* been asleep in my bed then, Princess?" He raises an eyebrow questioningly.

She blushes softly before answering. "I'm not sure, maybe 5 or 6 hours. Lance helped me get you into bed. Then he and I talked for a while as we waited to make sure you were really sleeping. After I sent him off, I came over to watch over you and make sure the nightmares were really gone. I guess I must have dozed off."

"I see," he murmurs quietly. He lies there resting, just watching her for a moment before continuing. "Princess? My memories are a little fuzzy about yesterday. I'm sure the crash in training, the sedative, and the stimulant that followed it all had something to do with it, but I need to ask you something." He bites his lower lip then sighs quietly.

"Of course, Keith. You know you can ask me anything. What is it?"

He searches her eyes for a minute before speaking again. "Did I…" He swallows nervously before continuing. "Did I… kiss you last night?" She giggles as a pink flush appears on his cheeks.

Nodding she whispers, "Yes. We kissed. I think that's what finally broke the spell."

"Spell?" He looks at her in confusion, blinking rapidly.

"See! I knew you weren't listening to me last night! I had a theory, based on Lotor's parting remarks after the battle yesterday, that Haggar's witchcraft was behind your problems sleeping. I tried to explain that to you last night and you wouldn't pay attention."

"I don't remember that at all…" His words come out in a yawn as he buries his head deeper into the pillow.

"I'm not surprised. The first time I explained it and then asked you what I said and you seemed to think that I told you that Haggar made Chitter fly Black Lion." She raises her eyebrow at him and shakes her head. "Then when I told you to pay attention and started to explain it again, well that's when you kissed me." Her blush deepens as she continues. "We kissed again, and then you couldn't keep your eyes open, so I had Lance help me get you to bed." Raising her eyes to his once more, she sees that he has fallen asleep again. The princess reaches out and runs her fingers through his hair before gently caressing his cheek and jaw. Leaning forward, she lightly kisses first his lips and then his forehead before rising from the bed. After making sure he is securely tucked into the blankets, she quietly makes her way out the door knowing that sleep is what he needs most right now. She can explain everything to him later. Then they will have the rest of their lives to spend together.


End file.
